Answers, Not Sales Pitches

Laser Hair RemovalFAQs

Eighteen honest answers from a St. Louis practice that has been doing this since 2000. Including the ones that start with “no.”

Book ConsultationContact Us
Start Here

Straight answers, first.

Most of the laser hair removal information online is written to sell you something. Ours is written to help you decide, which sometimes means telling you the treatment is a poor fit. Laser Me is a mother-daughter practice in Town and Country, just off Mason Lane, and we have treated more than 10,000 clients and performed over 100,000 treatments since 2000. That volume is why we can be specific about what typically happens instead of promising what always will.

Here is the short version. Laser hair removal works by aiming light at the pigment in your hair, which turns that light into heat and damages the follicle that produces the hair. It is cleared by the FDA for permanent hair reduction — a real, lasting drop in how much hair grows back, not a promise of a bare-forever body. Most clients need roughly 6–8 sessions spaced 4–6 weeks apart, and results vary by hair color, skin tone, the area treated, and your hormones. If you want the mechanism explained properly, read what is laser hair removal; if you want the machine we use and why, read laser hair removal with the GentleMax Pro.

Everything below is grouped so you can skip to what you actually came for. Nothing here replaces an in-person assessment — your hair and skin are specific, and general answers only get you so far.

Ask Anything

There is no question we have not already heard at the front desk. Pain, hormones, hair on places nobody posts about — ask it.

We Say No

If you are pregnant, freshly tanned, or your hair has too little pigment to target, we will tell you rather than sell you a package.

Talk To A Human

Call (636) 391-0015 or come see us at 2208 Mason Lane, Town and Country, MO 63021. Consultations are complimentary.

Group One

The Basics

The laser sends a pulse of light that is absorbed by melanin, the pigment inside the hair shaft. That light converts to heat, travels down the hair to the follicle, and damages the structure responsible for producing it. Skin around the follicle stays cooler because it holds less pigment and because the handpiece cools the surface. Only follicles in their active growth phase respond, which is why a single session cannot catch everything.
Poorly, and we would rather say so up front. The laser needs melanin to find its target, and blonde, grey, white, and most red hair carries very little of it. There is simply not enough pigment for the light to grab. Some darker strawberry blonde or ash blonde hair responds partially, but results are unpredictable and usually modest. If your hair falls into this range, we will tell you at your consult rather than sell you a series that is unlikely to satisfy you.
A wide range of skin tones can be safely treated by a trained provider after an in-person assessment. Our Candela GentleMax Pro carries a 1064nm Nd:YAG wavelength, which passes more deeply and interacts less with pigment in the skin itself — that is the reason richer tones are treatable at all. It is not a blanket guarantee. Settings, wavelength, cooling, and test spots all depend on your individual skin, recent sun exposure, and history. That assessment is not a formality; it is the safety step.
Yes, with a rule attached: no fresh tan. A St. Louis July does not stop treatment, but sun-darkened skin holds extra melanin that competes with your hair for the laser’s energy, which raises the risk of burns and forces us to treat conservatively or reschedule. Stay out of direct sun and tanning beds for about two weeks before and after each session, and wear SPF on the treated area. Plenty of clients start in June. Plenty more start in November so they are further along by June.
Group Two

Comfort & Safety

Most clients describe it as a quick snap, like a rubber band flicked against the skin, followed immediately by a cold burst. The GentleMax Pro sprays a cryogen cooling mist a fraction of a second before each pulse, which blunts most of the sting. Sensitive areas — upper lip, bikini, the front of the shin — register more than an arm or a leg does. Nobody loves it. Almost nobody finds it unbearable, and small areas are finished in a few minutes.
We do not treat during pregnancy, and we want to be honest about why. It is not because laser hair removal has been shown to harm a pregnancy — it has not. It is because it has never been properly studied in pregnant patients, and there is no version of that risk we are willing to take on someone else’s behalf. Pregnancy hormones also change hair growth in ways that make results unpredictable. We are glad to see you after delivery; talk to us about timing while nursing.
Typically some redness and small raised bumps around each follicle, which look a bit like goosebumps and usually settle within a few hours to a day. The area can feel warm, like mild sunburn. Less commonly, clients see temporary lightening or darkening of the skin, or small blisters, particularly on recently tanned skin. Real complications are uncommon in trained hands but are not impossible, which is why we screen, test, and adjust rather than run everyone at the same setting.
Group Three

Results & Sessions

Most clients need roughly 6–8 sessions spaced 4–6 weeks apart, and some need more. The range exists because the laser only affects follicles that are actively growing at the moment of treatment, and your follicles are not on a shared schedule. Coarse dark hair on underarms tends to respond faster than fine hair on a face or hormone-driven hair on a chin. Your provider will give you a realistic estimate for your specific area after seeing it, not before.
Because you are waiting on biology, not on us. Hair cycles through growth, transition, and resting phases, and only the growth phase is vulnerable to the laser. Four to six weeks is roughly how long it takes the next batch of follicles to enter that phase. Coming in sooner mostly wastes a session on hair that cannot respond yet. Coming in much later lets treated follicles recover ground. The spacing is doing real work even when nothing seems to be happening.
The correct term, and the one the FDA clearance uses, is permanent hair reduction. After a full series most clients see a lasting, substantial drop in how much hair grows back, and what does return is often finer and lighter than it was. That is different from a guarantee of bare skin forever. Hormones, genetics, age, and the area treated all influence what comes back. Anyone promising you will never shave again is describing marketing, not medicine.
It often helps meaningfully, and it often needs maintenance. Conditions like PCOS, thyroid disorders, and other hormonal shifts keep signaling dormant follicles to start producing hair, so your body can recruit new growth the laser never had a chance to treat. That is not a failure of the treatment; it is the condition doing what it does. Many clients with PCOS complete a series, get a real reduction, then come back once or twice a year to hold it. We will be candid about that expectation before you start.
It is one of the most common reasons people find us, and it is a fair reason. Ingrowns happen when a hair curls back into the skin instead of breaking through — a recurring problem for coarse curly hair on bikini lines, necks, and underarms. Fewer follicles producing hair means fewer opportunities for that to occur, and many clients report noticeably fewer bumps as their series progresses. Results vary, and existing ingrowns need to calm down before we treat over them.
Group Four

Between Sessions

In the first week or two, treated hairs work their way out of the skin. It looks like regrowth and it feels like stubble, but it is shedding — the follicle is releasing hair it can no longer hold. Gentle exfoliation helps it along. After that, the area is usually quiet until the next cohort of follicles enters its growth phase, which is what your next appointment is timed around. Keep sunscreen on it, and keep the appointment even if things look clear.
No — shave instead. Waxing, plucking, threading, and epilating pull the hair out by the root, and the root is exactly what the laser needs to find. Remove it and you have removed the target, so the next session does nothing for that follicle. Shaving is not just allowed, it is correct: it cuts the hair at the surface and leaves the follicle intact. Stop waxing at least four weeks before your first session. Bleaching and depilatory creams are out for the same reason.
Shave the area cleanly within 24 hours of your visit — hair above the skin absorbs energy at the surface instead of delivering it to the follicle, and it can singe. Arrive with clean skin: no lotion, deodorant, makeup, or self-tanner on the treatment area. Skip sun and tanning beds for about two weeks beforehand. If anything has changed since your last visit — new medication, a sunburn, a pregnancy, a new prescription — tell your provider before you get on the table.
Group Five

Cost & Booking

It depends on the area and how many sessions you need, so we price it in person rather than guess online. Small areas like an upper lip or underarms cost a fraction of what full legs or a back do, and packages cost less per session than paying one at a time. We regularly run introductory offers on small areas. What we will not do is quote you a number before we have seen your hair and skin and know what the series realistically looks like.
Yes. We work with Cherry and CareCredit, both of which let you apply in a few minutes and spread payments across months, often with promotional interest-free windows depending on the plan you qualify for. Many clients also use HSA or FSA funds; whether your specific plan covers laser hair removal depends on the plan and your administrator, so confirm with them before you assume. Our front desk can walk you through the options at your consult without any pressure to decide that day.
It is complimentary and it takes about twenty minutes. A provider looks at the actual area, assesses your hair color and coarseness and your skin tone, reviews your medications and health history, and tells you honestly whether you are a good candidate — including when the answer is no. You will get a realistic session estimate, pricing for your area, and possibly a small test spot. See our am I a candidate page and our laser hair removal process walkthrough. Nobody will push you to book.
Answers
Still Have A Question?

Ask Us Directly

Complimentary consultation. An honest answer about your hair, your skin, and whether this is worth your money.

Book Free ConsultationContact Us
(636) 391-0015 · 2208 Mason Lane, Town and Country, MO 63021
Flexible Financing HSA/FSA · Call to Learn More Cherry CareCredit
Book Now